Team Brandon - Zubda's Post

Today was the first day we arrived in Guatemala! I didn’t think our 17-hour journey to this unique country could be any more ever-changing. We all promptly arrived in Waldron Campus Center at 2AM for the bus driver to confuse our departure time with 7AM. Luckily one of our trip leaders called the company and was able to reach our driver and he arrived at 3AM. Thankfully we were able to board our plane with 3 minutes to spare, talk about a close call!

When we finally arrived in Guatemala City, we were so surprised to see how industrialized the main city was. There were glass skyscrapers, food vendors, and overall an extremely lively city.

The intensity of our journey took flight on our 3-hour drive to San Lucas; this drive showed us the slow progression from city life to rural living. We saw skyscrapers turn into dirt floor houses, children waiting for their loved ones turn into beggars in the street; yet the sense of community never changed no matter where we went.

My favorite part of our arrival was how fast our bus zipped and sped in between congested streets; this was so similar to a trip to Pakistan I took 7 years ago. There were brightly colored busses with obnoxious horns of various pitches and tones all for the purposes of speeding through traffic! Luckily we arrived to our hotel San Lucas, it’s located right along Lake Atitlan. The view is breathtaking!

Ironically enough, my dinner at the “bibliotheca” (dinner hall) connected to the church was much more nutritious than my average college student dinner of pizza or mac and cheese. There was homemade hot sauce and strawberry cinnamon jam! Each component of the ABST trip correlates to the 4 pillars of the covenant; even the food we ate, we ate in moderation based around the idea of simplicity.

The hospitality shown by the volunteers of this organization is a testament to the good work that is done here on a daily basis. The mission’s work, having religious undertones all throughout, consist of 24/7 healthcare, education, women’s workshops, coffee harvests, and so much more all done to help create a local sustaining infrastructure so the people of San Lucas all can live in a dignified manner. 

 

Until next time,

Zubda K